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February 26, 2009

Thursday Quiz: answers

Okay, let me rephrase that. Do you remember yesterday? At all?(Really? Can you pass that bottle of Lethe water this way?)

Yesterday I posted a quiz of true and pseudo stories in the news. Here's the list of answers.

1. This week, scientists came out with research that suggests there might be a universal cure for:

c. The flu. Looks like there might be an antibody that would help fend off different flu viruses.

2. A new book is coming out that promises to merge classic English literature with modern-day sensibilities. Its title is:

b. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Jane Austen's classic tale... now, with zombies. The novel starts out, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." (It's coming out in June 2009, so you'll have to wait to read the whole thing in all its gory detail.)

3a. A study found that companies who give incentives to quit Smoking have had some success with this method. To quote the clinical trials website:

The financial incentives were $100 for completion of a smoking-cessation program, $250 for cessation of smoking within 6 months after study enrollment, as confirmed by a biochemical test, and $400 for abstinence for an additional 6 months after the initial cessation, as confirmed by a biochemical test. Individual participants were stratified according to work site, heavy or nonheavy smoking, and income. The primary end point was smoking cessation 9 or 12 months after enrollment, depending on whether initial cessation was reported at 3 or 6 months. Secondary end points were smoking cessation within the first 6 months after enrollment and rates of participation in and completion of smoking-cessation programs.